Washington Department of Ecology

Environmental Regulatory Servicesecology.wa.gov

The Washington State Department of Ecology is a state government agency that regulates environmental protection across air, water, waste, and cleanup programs, serving Washington residents, local governments, businesses, and packaging producers through permits, grants, and digital service portals.

Company typePublic
Founded1970
HeadquartersOlympia, United States
Headcount1,001–5,000
GTM typeB2B and B2C
OfferingServices

What Washington Department of Ecology does

The Washington State Department of Ecology is a state government agency, established under RCW 43.21A, that regulates environmental protection across air quality, water quality, waste management, and contaminated site cleanup for the State of Washington. It serves Washington residents, local governments, businesses, and packaging producers through a portfolio of regulatory, grant-making, and public service programs. Core service areas include water rights management, environmental permitting, pollution prevention incentives, recycling program administration (E-Cycle Washington, LightRecycle, PaintCare), and cleanup of contaminated sites under the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). The agency has identified over 13,000 contaminated sites statewide and cleaned up more than 7,000, while overseeing more than 300 wastewater treatment facilities and administering the 2025 Recycling Reform Act.

The agency's technology backbone consists of several proprietary data management and public-facing systems: the Water Rights Tracking System (WRTS) with its Geographic Water-right Information System (GWIS) component for spatial water rights records; the Environmental Information Management (EIM) database aggregating statewide air, water, and land monitoring data; the Environmental Report Tracking System (ERTS) for public environmental issue reporting; the PARIS water quality permits lookup; the Water Right Application Portal (developed with a $163,900 Innovation and Modernization Grant in 2024); the EcoEPay online payment portal; the Coastal Atlas mapping tool; and a network of regional offices across Eastern, Northwest, Central, and Southwest Washington. Sub-brands also include E-Cycle Washington, LightRecycle, and PaintCare Washington. Distribution occurs through the ecology.wa.gov website, regional offices, phone/in-person assistance (1-800-OILS-911), and an active social media presence.

As a public-sector entity, the Department's funding derives from Washington State legislative appropriations, federal grants, and various environmental fees and program-specific charges — it is not a commercial revenue operation. The customer base is structurally diversified across all Washington residents (primary segment), local governments (grants, compliance assistance), Washington businesses (pollution prevention incentives, compliance), and packaging/paper product producers (subject to the Recycling Reform Act's Extended Producer Responsibility). Key partnerships include the Circular Action Alliance (designated producer responsibility organization under the 2025 Recycling Reform Act), Washington Department of Commerce (joint operation of the Recycling Development Center since 2019), Washington Department of Health (inter-agency coordination on shellfish safety and safe medication return), and Washington Technology Solutions (grant provider for digital modernization).

Washington Department of Ecology firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Washington Department of Ecology
Legal name: Washington State Department of Ecology
Website: https://ecology.wa.gov
Company type: Public
Founded year: 1970
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1,001–5,000 employees
Short description: The Washington State Department of Ecology is a state government agency that regulates environmental protection across air, water, waste, and cleanup programs, serving Washington residents, local governments, businesses, and packaging producers through permits, grants, and digital service portals.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Washington Department of Ecology industry classification

Industry

Product category: Environmental Regulatory Services
NAICS: Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)
SIC: Water Supply (4941), Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Refuse Systems (4953)
akta.pro primary industry: Environmental Policy, Planning & Regulation (BPAIAMAA)
akta.pro secondary industries: Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC), State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL), Environmental Public Health (Food Safety, Water Quality, Sanitation) (BPAIAJAE)

Keywords

Environmental regulation services
Water quality monitoring
Air quality management
Hazardous waste cleanup
Pollution prevention programs

Where Washington Department of Ecology is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Olympia
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

Washington Department of Ecology business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B and B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

Government Funding and Tax Revenue: As a Washington State government agency, the Department of Ecology is funded through state budget allocations, federal grants, and fees for services. Revenue supports environmental protection programs, permits, grants, and regulatory activities.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Pay-as-you-go	Water Right Application Portal

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Washington Department of Ecology product offering

Product offering

Core offering

The Washington Department of Ecology is a Washington State government agency that administers environmental laws, issues and enforces environmental permits and licenses, monitors air and water quality, manages water rights, oversees solid and hazardous waste programs, cleans up contaminated sites, and provides environmental education and technical assistance to residents, businesses, and local governments across the state.

Product overview

Washington Department of Ecology operates as a state environmental protection agency offering a portfolio of regulatory, data management, and public service platforms. The agency provides online tools for environmental permitting (Water Right Application Portal, PARIS permits), data resources (Environmental Information Management Database, Water Rights Tracking System), and public-facing recycling programs (E-Cycle Washington, LightRecycle, Recycling Reform Act). Core platforms include the Water Rights Tracking System for record searches, the Coastal Atlas for coastal management data, and various permit and payment portals. These tools serve residents, businesses, and local governments in managing environmental compliance and accessing state environmental data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Water Rights Tracking System: Online portal for searching water rights using various search tools
Water Right Application Portal
E-Cycle Washington
LightRecycle
PaintCare Washington
EcoEPay
PARIS

Quantifiable outcome

Reduced household recycling bills by at least 90% after 2032
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use Washington Department of Ecology

Customer profile

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Washington Department of Ecology technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Washington Department of Ecology partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

Circular Action Alliance (CAA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Circular Action Alliance is the registered producer responsibility organization under Washington's Recycling Reform Act. Producers of packaging and paper products are required to join CAA, which collects fees based on volume and invests in local recycling infrastructure. CAA will reimburse service providers for recycling collection and processing costs starting in 2030.
Interchange360coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Interchange360 registered with Ecology to establish an alternative collection program for automotive lubricant packaging under the Recycling Reform Act. Provides specialized recycling services for automotive packaging not covered by the main CAA program.
Washington Department of Commerce - Office of Economic Development and CompetitivenesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in 2019 to operate the Recycling Development Center. The Department of Commerce provides business, marketing, and technical assistance to support both public and private sectors in developing markets for recyclable materials.
Washington Department of HealthcoreOthersCoordination on public health matters related to environmental issues, including shellfish safety advisories, beach closure information, and safe medication return programs.
Local Health DistrictscoreOthersLocal health districts receive sewage spill reports and issue beach closure information and health advisories. They are the authoritative source for recreational water quality warnings.
Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Ecology's Central Region in 2017 to host the Eastern Washington Riparian Planting Symposium, focused on restoration challenges unique to Eastern Washington's drier conditions.
Recycling Development Center Advisory BoardcoreOthers14-member advisory board representing public agencies, private industry, universities, and nonprofits that guides the Recycling Development Center's work on strengthening markets for recyclable materials.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Washington Department of Ecology competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Washington Department of Ecology financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Washington Department of Ecology leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Washington Department of Ecology funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Washington Department of Ecology M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington Department of Ecology

What does Washington Department of Ecology do?

Is Washington Department of Ecology a public or private company?

Washington Department of Ecology is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was Washington Department of Ecology founded?

Washington Department of Ecology was founded in 1970. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.

Where is Washington Department of Ecology based?

Washington Department of Ecology is headquartered in Olympia, United States, in the North America region.

How does Washington Department of Ecology make money?

One revenue line is on record: government Funding and Tax Revenue.

Does Washington Department of Ecology have an API?

No public API is recorded for Washington Department of Ecology.

What industry is Washington Department of Ecology in?

Washington Department of Ecology's product category is Environmental Regulatory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAMAA, Environmental Policy, Planning & Regulation, with a secondary code of BPAIAMAC, Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil). Its NAICS code is 924110 and its SIC code is 4941.